


(shinichi always) wears many hats

by llwydion



Series: reflections (DCMK AUs) [2]
Category: Magic Kaito, 名探偵コナン | Detective Conan | Case Closed
Genre: Actor AU, Gen, Shinichi is really really good at his job, even though it's not actually his job this time around
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-17
Updated: 2018-08-17
Packaged: 2019-06-28 14:48:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,671
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15709410
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/llwydion/pseuds/llwydion
Summary: Prompt: Shinichi as lead actor of a modern Sherlock-esque show, in which he does interviews where people jokingly test his detective skills but he'd solve the mysteries in record time.Shinichi nods, and assumes his famous “thinking” pose. “Well, yes. It’s quite a clever trick, Takagi-keiji, but quite obvious if you tilt your head and look. If I were more arrogant, I'd say, 'You see, but you do not observe, dear Watson.'" The studio audience laughs at that, and Takagi chuckles.





	(shinichi always) wears many hats

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LadyShadowMage](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyShadowMage/gifts).



> This came about from a lovely prompt LadyShadowMage posted on the discord server, and I thank you kindly for the inspiration!
> 
> The phrase "wear many hats" means that someone has many jobs or roles. (i.e. in my day job, I usually have to wear many hats - i go from fixing things to breaking other things to creating new things, which requires a wide skillset)

_Footage from Mizunashi Rena’s popular TV show, Raiha:_

“Welcome to Raiha, dear viewers! Today is a very special day for the more mystery-inclined of us, and I am honored to be joined in the studio on Sherlock Holmes’ birthday by none other than our very own modern Holmes, actor Kudou Shinichi!”

Applause, cheers, and some high-pitched screams from the audience. A faint shout of “We love you, Shinichi-san!” can be heard in the background. From stage right, a young man with mostly-neat hair, wearing a dark blue suit, climbs up the stairs and takes his seat in the red, cushy armchair opposite the host. They smile and shake hands.

“So, Shinichi-san, can you tell us a little bit about yourself? Perhaps how you first started.”

“Of course. I’ve been an actor for about five years now, and actually my first role was as the young, overworked police inspector who goes to Samonji for help. It was a strange parallel to my own life then, when I kept downing coffee and energy drinks and constantly went to Kenzaki-san for advice on my own acting career.”

“And since then, you’ve starred in a few movies, including the award-winning _Moonlight Mystery Case_. Can you tell us a bit more about that movie in particular, and maybe some comments about your fellow actor, Kuroba Kaito?”

Shinichi chuckles. “ _Moonlight Mystery Case_ was my first big role. For those of you who haven’t watched the movie, it’s about a mysterious thief – played by Kaito – and the detective who keeps trying to catch him, me. It was what won Kaito his Academy Award for lead actor. And, contrary to our roles in the movie, we’re best friends in real life.”

Mizunashi-san leans in. “And in addition to your work in movies, you’ve also been cast in a TV show –”

“Yes, it’s a modern, Japanese adaptation of my favorite character of all times, Sherlock Holmes. I’m a big fan.”

“What’s it like, playing your favorite character?” Mizunashi-san asks. The audience is similarly enthralled.

“Honestly, it’s been a great journey. When I was first told I’d be cast as Sherlock, my reaction was to put down the letter and walk away, because this could only be a prank. But as I started reading the script, I realized that not only was this modern Sherlock based on the original, but that the screenwriter somehow worked elements of my own personality in as well. So yes, it’s been great fun. Plus, it’s, in a roundabout sort of fashion, a fulfillment of my childhood dream.”

“And that was?”

“I wanted to be a detective, back in the day. Solving crimes and all.”

“That’s Kudou Shinichi, everybody! We will be back with your favorite segment of the show after the break, the game with our guest. Stay tuned!”

As they break for intermission, Mizunashi-san taps him on the shoulder.

“Shinichi-san, I’d like to inform you that this next part is going to be really difficult. Since we heard you were playing the role of a detective, the studio staff decided that the game tonight will be having you solve mysteries.”

Shinichi’s face relaxes from its former nervous mein.

“Oh, if it’s just solving mysteries, that’s fine with me.”

Mizunashi-san smiles. “Alright then. Do you want some water or tea in the meantime?”

“Some water would be great, thank you very much.”

* * *

“Welcome back from the commercial break, viewers! Are you excited for this next portion of the show?”

The audience cheers loudly. Evidently this is a popular segment, judging from the almost-minute long cacophony from the forty-or-so crowd in the studio tonight.

“Tonight’s theme is, very fittingly, mysteries! We’ve invited Detective Takagi from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police, who has created a few cases for our favorite actor to solve!”

“Pleased to meet you, Shinichi-san. I’m a big fan of your work.”

“Thank you, Detective. I’ll do my best,” he says, and the audience chuckles.

“Detective, if you could do us the honor?”

The detective, who looks like he is in his early thirties, nods and pulls out a file from a manila envelope. He clears his throat, and begins to read.

“Our first case is the Disappearance of N-san. N-san, a prominent lawyer in his mid-forties, disappears while on his way home from work one night. His wife and daughter stay up late waiting for him, but he never appears. The next morning, the police are notified, and after a widespread manhunt which takes most of the day, they find his tie and bag in a subway train, tossed carelessly in a corner. There’s nothing in his bag besides some law papers, and nothing special about the tie. The man has disappeared, entirely.”

“Can I ask a few questions?”

“Sure. I’ll answer them to the best of my ability.”

“Did N-san have any grudges at work?”

“He was an affable man, and his coworkers all liked him.”

“What time does he usually arrive home?”

“At about 7:30, give or take five minutes.”

“How much did he have on him?”

“He had about 15000 yen in cash, and two credit cards.”

“And did he have any big cases he was working on, or which got resolved recently?”

“Yes. A day before, he had won a big case which made major headlines across the country.”

“And what was he like, as a person?”

“Very smart, though a little air-headed at times. He sometimes forgot the house keys, or left a window open.”

“That’s all the questions I have.”

Mizunashi-san clicks a button. “Then your countdown will begin now. You have thirty minutes to ask other questions, think about the problem, maybe ask some audience members for help.”

Shinichi grins, a little ruefully, and scratches the back of his head.

“Actually, I think I’ve got it.”

The detective raises his eyebrows, and Mizunashi-san claps excitedly. “Then, if you could?”

Shinichi nods, and assumes his famous “thinking” pose. “Well, yes. It’s quite a clever trick, Takagi-keiji, but quite obvious if you tilt your head and look. If I were more arrogant, I'd say, 'You see, but you do not observe, dear Watson.'" The studio audience laughs at that, and Takagi chuckles.

"N-san is a prominent lawyer, but still takes the subway, which means he’s a thrifty sort of man. But N-san is also a family man, since he gets home at about the same time every day – a difficult thing to accomplish when you’re a lawyer, and a prominent one at that. Now, why would a thrifty man carry around that much in his wallet?”

Mizunashi-san shakes her head. Takagi-keiji looks suitably impressed.

“If nothing else than to celebrate his winning the big case with his colleagues. As he’s going home, after he’s had a few drinks, he decides to leave his tie and bag in the corner of the subway, which is decidedly strange behavior. And now, we wonder, why indeed did he leave them there?”

The audience murmurs, clearly confused.

“Because he was drunk, and he met a friend. Another lawyer friend, and a good friend. So they go for more celebratory drinks, but since he’s already had a few and he’s a rather air-headed man, he leaves the tie and the bag behind. As of the evening of the police search, I assume they’ve found him sleeping off his many drinks in said friend’s house.”

During this explanation, Takagi-keiji’s eyebrows rise higher and higher on his forehead. When Shinichi finishes, starry-eyed and slightly out of breath, Takagi-keiji starts to laugh.

“You weren’t cheating, were you, Shinichi-san?”

Shinichi shakes his head. “Why would I cheat?”

“You’re spot on. Damn, you’re good.”

The audience cheers and claps.

Takagi continues.

Shinichi gets every single case right, in record-breaking time. By Mizunashi-san’s clock, the most time he’s spent on a “case” so far is a grand total of five minutes and eight seconds. Takagi-keiji’s eyebrows are so high up that they’re disappearing into his hair, and sometimes he glances at the actor like he can’t quite believe a human like Shinichi exists.

At last, Mizunashi-san says, “I think we have time for one last case. Make this one good, Takagi-keiji!”

Takagi nods, and pulls out a different manila folder. This one is neatly labeled with “Cold Case 1042” on one side, and “Property of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police, Division 1” on the other. It’s a bulky folder, filled with pages upon pages of police reports, pictures of the crime scene, Ziploc bags of cigarette butts and hair clippings.

“For our last case, I got permission from the Superintendent to bring in one of our cold cases. Not very well-known; in fact, so old that it was when our Superintended was a mere new detective. If you can’t solve this one, Shinichi-san, I wouldn’t be surprised. Generations of police haven’t been able to crack this one.”

The audience hushes. Clearly, this is the climax of the night.

Mizunashi-san interrupts. “I’d like to advise our viewers: this portion of the program contains graphic depictions of violence and murders, and if any of you would like to leave, now is the time to do so.”

A few people in the audience get up and move, but the rest stay firmly put.

“Take it away, Takagi-keiji.”

“Thank you, Mizunashi-san. This case dates back almost fifteen years ago. A man has been mysteriously killed in his own study, while he was alone and listening to opera. His wife is the one to discover the body after she forces open the locked door, and she immediately calls emergency services. The police photo shows that the body has signs of cyanosis, and skin discoloration occurs in areas of high blood vessel concentration, all signs of respiratory failure, but a preliminary autopsy doesn’t show any traces of cyanide. Later, a full autopsy reveals the poison in question to be tetrodoxin, thus completely removing the possibility of this being a suicide. The coroner also finds a suspicious red mark on the side of the victim’s head, below his ear; it looks like a needle pricked him. The police treat this as a murder, but cannot find out who did it.

“The culprits: the father, M-san, whose favorite hobby is fishing. He is getting on in years, but still enjoys a weekend or two out on the open sea with his fishing buddies. The wife, J-san, who is this man’s second wife. She married him as a way to get out of debt. The step-daughter, S-chan, who is a college student, and though well cared for, doesn’t seem to regard this man highly.

“I also have here,” and Takagi-keiji hands over a small bag to Shinichi, “a bag of the evidence we collected at the scene. It includes the victim’s keychain,” and he pulls out a plastic bag with a Hawaiian-themed keychain, “on which rests his room key and his house key. A matching keychain, owned by the wife, without the keys this time. A hairpin, left on the floor of the room, which S-chan claimed to belong to her. Some fishing wire and needles, which were left in various places around the house, presumably by the old man.”

Takagi takes this moment to breathe, and Shinichi sinks deep into thought. He steeples his fingers and rests his chin on top of them, blue eyes glazed over as he thinks.

He startles when he hears a chime.

“That’s the sign for five minutes left, Shinichi-san,” Mizunashi-san says, almost apologetically.

“Alright, thank you. If you could just let me know when the time is up? The chimes are a little disturbing.”

“Of course, no problem!”

“Thanks.”

The audience is starting to get restless, and the shuffling grows louder. Finally, with thirty-two seconds to spare, Shinichi shoots up out of his chair with a loud “aha!”.

He then looks around, realizes where he is, and blushes a little.

“I’m sorry for the outburst, but I think I’ve figured it out.”

Takagi raises his eyebrows even further.

“The police originally assumed that the fishing wire and needles were used to make the locked room, right?”

Takagi nods. “But we couldn’t arrest the old man, because he vehemently denied his guilt. As we had no concrete evidence, the case went cold.”

“Right, but you didn’t think about the motives in this case.”

Takagi blinks a few times, confused.

“As Sherlock Holmes used to say, ‘Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.’ In other words, all I had to do was eliminate whoever couldn’t have done it, and then I had the answer. The old man couldn’t have killed his own son; he’s a fisherman, and if he really wanted to kill him he wouldn’t have left the fishing lines all around the house. So someone else planted those there, as a false trail.”

Takagi is slowly nodding, and has pulled out a small black notebook from his shirt pocket.

“Do you mind if I record this, Shinichi-san?”

“Not at all. Anyways, where was I? Oh yes, the false trail of fishing line. That eliminates the father. Now, the step-daughter. Could she have done it? Maybe. But leaving a hairpin in the room? That just screams careless, and if I were this man’s step-daughter, I would have been sure to clean up all evidence of me being there. So there we go, step-daughter removed.

“That leaves just one possibility – the wife. And if I could take a closer look at the keychain, Detective? Thank you. Now, if you look here,” and he holds up the wife’s keychain and slides it open, “there is a groove, in the shape of a needle. How I imagine this happened: the wife arrives home, having drugged her husband’s drink before she left. Easy to mix in a sleeping pill and leave it for her husband. When she arrives home, she opens the door, slips inside, and stabs her husband with the tetradoxin-laced needle. After a few moments, she screams, closing the door and locking it while this happens, and breaks it open to create the illusion of a locked room. When emergency services arrive, they come across this scene.”

The audience is stunned. Takagi-keiji is speechless. Mizunashi-san looks like someone has hit her with a truck.

Takagi’s phone rings.

“Yes, Takagi speaking. Sir?”

Evidently whoever is on the other side is someone of a high rank, and Takagi’s expression turns from surprised to absolutely floored.

“That – sir, are you sure? Yes sir. Yes. Yes. Will do, sir. Thank you.”

Takagi-keiji turns to Shinichi, who is sitting there demurely.

“That was Inspector Megure, my supervisor. He would like you to know that based on your theory now, we have arrested the woman in question for the murder of her husband. Thank you for your help, Shinichi-san.”

The audience breaks out into cheers, shouts, screams; an indescribable riot of noise. Shinichi sits on the red armchair, looking a little stunned.

After a few minutes, Mizunashi-san gestures for quiet.

“And that concludes our section today with our favorite actor and brilliant detective in the works, Kudou Shinichi-san!”

_End footage._

* * *

 

After the studio is cleared up and he walks out of the doors, he is ambushed by Takagi-keiji.

“Did you want something, Detective? If you need my statement, I can come with you to the police station.”

“No, it’s not that. It’s just – today, your performance was unbelievable. Have you ever considered joining the force as a detective? With your brain, you’d be an invaluable asset.”

Shinichi sighs, and in that moment, looks older than he is.

“Thank you for the kind words, detective. Once, I did indeed want to be a police detective. But now, I think I’ve found something that makes me happier and allows me to be who I truly am. I think I’ve found something worthy, and someone.”

Takagi sighs ruefully. “Well, if your mind’s all made up, then I guess this is the end. Thanks anyways.”

“Though, I have to say, consulting detective doesn’t sound too bad now, does it?” Shinichi adds, with a twinkle in his eyes.

**Author's Note:**

> >:)
> 
> if you'd like to come scream at me/with me, you can find me on discord: jmoon #0444. or drop me a comment


End file.
